Unwanted pregnancies - why so many?

I think my point is that once there is HONEST 'mutual respect, affection/like and a sensible attitude to birth AND STD control, you have pretty much taken it out of the 'casual sex' range. If people are honest about the level of the relationship and whether there is a risk of pregnancy then the sorts of incidents that is being discussed on at least one of the threads on GN would not be happening.

It may happen as there are no real consequences anymore to having a baby out of wedlock or even as a single parent. At one time, it would have been seriously frowned upon and the baby more than likely given up for adoption. If the baby remained with the mother, the family rallied around and supported it. Now, with housing and income (and child care paid for?), I doubt it's seen as a huge problem; until they realise they can't go out as much as they used to! So where is the necessity to bother with contraception?

HollyDaze, agree with much of what you say and although I'd never ever want a return of the days where girls lived in total terror of falling pregnant and facing family hostility, social disgrace, and the loss of a baby to adoption or worse, I do wish that the down sides of being a single parent before your education is complete and you have started to live your own life where better understood by those who view it as simply another option to the lives they have. Parents have a real duty to guide their growing children into slowly understanding that although families can be all sorts of variations, there are huge drawbacks to certain configurations. No need to scare your children into forced celibacy until they are married/30ish but, on the other hand, being almost complicit through lack of guidance or indifference, to a school girl of 16 becoming a mother is not doing them any favours.

Still happened when it was seriously frowned upon though, didn't it? Disapproval wasn't a very successful deterrent. There were just more babies for adoption. It would be interesting to see the figures from, say, a hundred years ago and now and compare the proportion of teenage pregnancies to population size.

Totally Hilda- the difference being nowadays that no-one needs become pregnant unless they want to- with all the education, adivce, free clinics and free contraception, etc, etc. So why does it happen so often still today? Rates of abortion are indeed coming down slowly- but why so slowly? Thew should practically have disappeared and become very rare events indeed.

As said, it is linked to low aspirations perhaps, low self-esteem- and perhaps a sort of need to play Russian Roulette with one's body and hormones (talking about NOW- not in the past when contraception, support and education were not so freely avaialble). I suppose I am VERY lucky, that even as a younger teenager I felt I could take responsibility for my actions, take my courage in both hands and go and see GP ans ask, and feel empowered by the fact I was in charge of my body- and note 'good or bad luck'. Rates of unwanted pregnancy and abortion are much higher in UK than most of Europe (perhaps all, must check)- and I am often asked why- and don't know how to respond. Thanks all for your very interesting comments.

I worked for a Catholic doctor several years ago that could still be awkward when it came to prescribing the morning after pill .

'Accidents' never happen?

Actually, scrub that. What I meant to say is sometimes contraception fails so unwanted teenage pregnancies will happen just as unplanned non-teenager pregnancies still happen.

Eg pill not working because the girl is taking antibiotics [I know the Dr should point it out] or has had a tummy bug. Burst condom and then girl being scared to see a doctor. I know when I was young I was scared to see a doctor when I had a urine infection, because my friends laughed and said 'we all know what causes that, don't we', so it can be big deal to young people, making an appointment [if they can get one]. Young people were sometimes worried to come to our surgery in case I told their mums [as if I would, but they worried anyway].

Of course 'accidents' will always happen- but accidents should be rare. At all the schools I taught at, the stomach upset + pill situation was always well explained- and students told to use extra protection in case of. Condoms do burst- but not so frequently- etc. So it does seem that (nowadays) will all the education, support, free advice, etc- accidents should be much much rarer than they are.

Which brings us full circle, Granjura, Many are not really "accidents" but Freudian slips by the subconscious minds of young women whose bodies are primed by nature to procreate.

A study on the subject by the Wellcome Trust

“Over the past 60 years, the time between the age at which we first have sex, when we move in with a partner and when we first have children has widened”, explains Professor Wellings. “Women may now spend about 30 years of their lives needing to avoid an unplanned pregnancy.”

and

" “Our estimate of the rate of unplanned pregnancies in Britain is lower than estimates in some other high income countries. This may be explained by differences in measurement, but it may also in part be due to contraception being available free of charge from the NHS.”

Thank you for this Elegran. I seem to have upset some people with this thread- who have related to things of the past rather than the current situation. Having taught all my adult life in secondary schools and 6th Form, and had 2 daugthers myself- I know how well sex ed is taught now, and all the advice, support, contraception from specialist clinics (not the family GP..), etc.

And I also know that it upsets people if I say unwanted pregnancies or teenage babies seems to be much more of an issue in the UK than other European countries too- but facts are facts and cannot really be ignored. I am often asked why- and I just do not know. Why should the subconscious desire to procreate be stronger in the UK, than say, in France or Germany???

This thread is not meant to judge, criticize, stereotype, etc- but to tra and understand. Hope this is understood. And is about NOW not the 40s and 50s.

Message received, GRANJURA but may I ask if where you live, do the girls get council flats as they do over here when they become pregnant?

Sometimes it is a way to get away from the home situation, but I don"t think they realise that A BABY IS A HUGE RESPONSIBILITY.

Will probably get rapped over the knuckles, but hey I have said it !

I've lived in Switzerland, where I was born and bred- for the past 5 years- but before I lived for almost 40 in the Midlands, as a mother and teacher of teenage girls. And the answer is 'no' they do not here where I live- and neither do they in France or Germany.

UK rates of teenage births are five times those in the Netherlands, double those in France and more than twice those in Germany- so why?

They don't get council houses here, either, nonu. People can be allocated hostel places, flats or find private rental property and claim the relevant, eligible amount of housing benefit if they need to. The days when stories spread about giving teenage girls with a baby their own council house are both long gone and grossly exaggerated.

Should add, in Manchester the shortage of flats means anyone applying has to go on the list and pregnancies don't put them any higher - they'll be given a hostel place, self-contained.

I did ACTUALLYsay FLATS!

I just see the whole teen-pregnancy as hugely sad. I am not judging morally (well I hope not). Its just that having had two wonderful daughters I would have hated them to have narrowed their life choices at 16 by becoming pregnant on their own. Of course I would have offered support and been a loving Mum to them but I would have deeply mourned the loss of 'what might have been'. I have a sneaky suspicion that my elder daughter would have made a pretty good fist of it but younger daughter would have been very bewildered and scared. Its just that I grew up just as the pill was coming into use, I had a girl friend who was almost not born and whose mother 'escaped' from a 'Mother and baby' unit with her daughter (my friend). All of that fear and worry is now pretty much gone for girls, but that does not make dropping out of school and having a baby that gets pushed into the job centre every week a fun and fulfilling life choice. Women have fought long and hard for a better set of choices (hence my disgust at Blinging up baby) I just do not want any young woman to go down that route for the lack of a pill, the self confidence not to have sex until she wants to (same for many young boys too) or the lack of vision as to her future.

I am not sure what I posted that drew your thanks, Granjura. It was just a link and quote of many on Google. No-one seems to have a definitive answer.

I thought there might be one element among many factors in my quote “Over the past 60 years, the time between the age at which we first have sex, when we move in with a partner and when we first have children has widened”, explains Professor Wellings. “Women may now spend about 30 years of their lives needing to avoid an unplanned pregnancy.”

Perhaps the lessening of religious observance, compared to some European countries, and lower condemnation of unmarried mothers has contributed? Many babies are now born to mothers in stable relationships but unmarried. There could be a spread of that attitude into those with less stable relationships?

I know granjura, that you lived in the LEICS , you told me if you recall !

When we PM"D.

LOL I know you know... but others may think I am a furiner who does not really know about the UK- and looking at things from afar- or being 'anti' UK, which I can assure you I am not. A huge part of my heart will always be in the UK, my daughters, their children and family and friends.

Elegran I thanked you for providing such a useful link, and not biting my head off (perhaps ;) )- I agree with your comments- but why the huge difference between France (just one example) and UK. Your comments apply to them just as much as to UK women. That is my main question- why the huge disparity with other European countries, with similar conditions.

Among the Google results which I looked at but - alas - can't find again was one table which I think showed northern European countries - Scandinavia and so on - also had high proportions, but Spain and Italy had lower. Unless my memory of it was upside down (could be!) maybe there is a North-South trend? Or a catholic/nonconformist one? I wish I had saved the link while I had it.

The US is top of the league, which is interesting given their strong religious bias.

GRAN

((HUG))